What is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy? (CBT)

"Men are disturbed not by things, but by the view which they take of them"

Epictetus: ( The Enchiridion , 1st Century AD)

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is the leading evidence-based psychotherapy around today.

After pioneering work by figures like Beck, Ellis and Meichenbaum; C.B.T. has become the "quiet revolution" in psychotherapy. Practitioners trace dysfunctional thinking patterns in the here and now back to beliefs about the self and its relationship to the world.

The idea that the threat lies not in the objective situation, but in the meaning attributed to the situation, is fundamental to cognitive therapy, so the focus of therapy lies in the transformation of this meaning.

This can involve uncovering core dysfunctional beliefs and replacing them with more positive and realistic ones.

Because of its clarity, proven effectiveness and the need for brief yet effective therapies, cognitive therapy is now established as the 'Treatment of Choice' for overcoming a wide range of complex problems including stress, anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, low-self-esteem and other emotional problems.

I have been studying and teaching C.B.T. for over ten years and have developed ways to integrate its key insights and techniques with hypnotherapy to produce a powerful tool for taking charge of one's life and banishing dysfunctional thinking. I am a registered practitioner with the N.C.H.P. of C.B.T.

Links

Some good Q & A about CBT can be found here.

The Beck Institute